Blog-read-around

While I was reading other blogs, I noticed a wide variety of topics. Some of my classmates have written on the same topics as me, but others have expanded and included outside sources to comment and blog their own thoughts on. By doing this read around exercise, I’ve learned a little bit more about other people’s interests and more about Native Americans in general.


Comments on other people’s blogs.
Cassy
i have to admit, i'm surprised that a TESOL book should have references to the Native American culture. I think it's b/c i just assumed Native Americans could already speak English, and wouldn't have to be taught how to speak it. Although on the other hand, you had mentioned that your class had talked about American Indian Studies being a newly developed field. I find that also interesting b/c I would think that field would already have been researched. The argument could really go either way.
Beth
I absolutely loved the little house on the prairie books. So, when i read Debbie Reese's blogs, i was kind of taken aback by her directness. Each character has their own personality and that creates the epic story. B/c it is also autobiographical, there are certain elements that cannot be removed from the novel b/c it was a true event. Although, i'm sure these books did lead readers into misconceptions, the overall feeling is still present during the interactions.
Rob
I completely agree with your argument on gender roles. I would think the Deydey would have been more than willing to help out his wife when he got back from trading b/c there was sooooo much work to be done. The mother was not only overseeing all the preperation for winter, but she was also taking care of all the children,the most annoying being Pinch. Even at the end of the movie, i didn't see Pinch redeeming himself. I think he will grow up to be one of the laziest male indians that tribe will ever see.

It's the funny things in life.

When we were first assigned to read about Indian humor, I was a little skeptical. I initially thought that most of the humor would be more racist or based on stereotypical Indian characteristics: alcohol, poverty, casino’s. Turns out the humor is completely opposite of what I believed. In some instances, the humor is so subtle so that unless you have a good sense of humor, it’s more than likely the actual joke won’t be caught.
So naturally I searched the internet to find some great Indian humor jokes. And one of my favorite jokes is:
Anglos have BC and AD to measure time. Native People only have the four BC's.
Before Colombus
Before Custer
Before Commodity
Before Costner
It’s simple jokes like this that really make me laugh, because now that I have a little bit more background information on some of the situations, the jokes are even funnier than they would be normally. Of course there are tons more jokes on the internet but this is one of the better ones I found.

Reese and Wilder's perceptions.

When I was reading Debbie Reese’s blogs on American Indians in Children’s Literature, I found one particular comment interesting. When I was younger, my grandma gave me the whole series of Little House on the Prairie. I went through those books really fast because I just loved the characters and the family ups and downs that went along with the adventure out west. When I read the books and saw the few images, I never once stereotyped the Native Americans. I guess I was so young at the time, that I never fully understood the stereotype behind the images and wording. Although, Reese makes excellent points about the images and has extensive knowledge on this background area, I feel as if she is judging too harshly. Laura Ingalls Wilder was writing her story from a first-hand experience and although she may exaggerate in some aspects, that was her experience at the time and what she remembers most vividly. So I think Wilder’s books should be taken in stride and taken from the perspective of Wilder and her age at the time.

The Ojibwa Tribe--A bit of info [i liked]

Before reading The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich, I had not heard of the tribe, Ojibwa. Therefore, I have taken it upon my self to locate some more information about the tribe and maybe see how accurate certain parts of the book are compared to the actual history.
First fact that I find interesting is the Ojibwa tribe is one of the largest tribes, first nation, north of Mexico. Also, Erdrich stayed true to the theme of using birch bark. The Ojibwa used birch bark for their canoes and to make scrolls and of course it was used for their pointed houses. It does say that a popular living space was known as a wigwam and that large groups of Ojibwa lived with each other, otherwise known as a band.
There are all kinds of different bands, each with a distinct name. I wish Erdrich would have given Omakayas’ band a name because then it would be easier to place their location in an actual state. All of the bands are located next to the great lakes, right on the border of Canada.
Louise Erdrich is Anishinabe and has written more books including: Tracks, Love Medicine, and The Bingo Palace. The Birchbark House was a good book, maybe these will be just as good.

Resistance vs Assimilation

The Birchback House by Louise Erdrich

Some moments of resistance are:
The refusal of some men to move their families west of the Mississippi River.
Fishtail going to school to learn the white man’s markings to better understand treaties so he is not tricked into something.

Some moments of assimilation:
The practice of using guns.
Allowing Angeline and Fishtail to go to school.
Using the game chess as a gambling tool.
Wearing a cross on one’s clothing.
Making use of the white man’s vaccine during the smallpox epidemic.
Old Tallow using blanket and velvet swatches to patch her winter coat.
Deydey becoming a trader to help support his family.
For some reason, I can only come up with more assimilations because I think Erdrich focused on those situations more than the Ojibwa resisting the on coming takeover of white people.

John Trudell: The Movie

I commend John Trudell on his aspirations and determinedness to fight for the rights of Native Americans. I know there are activists for many organizations all fighting for some kind of rights they believe are owed to them, but Trudell is fighting an ongoing battle that started when Columbus first arrived on the shores of Virginia.
First of all, I liked to say I’ve watched a lot of documentaries and this was one I stayed truly interested in until the end. That being said, my favorite part of the documentary was learning about the takeover of Alcatraz Island. I never heard about it in my history classes, so it was kind of surprise, I guess, because I would think something like that should be in American history books.
I don’t understand why it bothered the government so much to have the Native Americans occupying the island. All they did is propose an ecology, culture, and education center. If it wasn’t for the government trying to federally derecognize Native Americans, they could have avoided the whole situation. The Native Americans are just trying to keep their heritage and culture alive by any means possible. That’s not such a bad thing.

Kidwell and Velie Readings

Tribal sovereignty is rooted very heavily in the historical relationship between the federal government and the Native Americans. I thought the Native Americans were given their own sovereignty on their reservations by leading and guiding their own people, but not really. It seems like the federal government still has a firm grip on most aspects of their tribes and land reservations.
When I started reading about cultural issues, I thought I was going to be reading more about traditional living in regards to what Native Americans can and cannot do, but it’s more about what the government first allowed them to do but are now revoking those decisions. The issue of religion bothers me the most because I’m very tolerant of other religions and completely believe in the first amendment. However, to grant Native Americans and the American public the freedom to choose a religion then decide the religion isn’t benefiting the public because the land isn’t being used ‘properly’ is sheer ignorance and incompetence.
One issue I am mixed about is repatriation. I agree to an extent with both sides seeming there are benefits of both. Native Americans should receive some of their belongings back if they were stolen or if they are objects of ‘cultural patrimony’. On the other hand, I love going to museums and learning about different cultures and the history behind the items. If those items aren’t there, how is the public going to be informed about these cultures that are fading so rapidly.